Kirk Suspect Was Afraid Of Being Shot, Negotiated ‘Gentle’ Surrender: Sheriff

As he prepared to turn himself over to authorities, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson allegedly negotiated a “peaceful” surrender that allowed him to avoid being handcuffed at gunpoint, a responding sheriff revealed.

The indictment of Robinson this week has shed light on the circumstances of his arrest following a 33-hour manhunt. Authorities had been pursuing a trail left after the Sept. 10 assassination of Charlie Kirk when the college student’s family reported that he had confessed to being the murderer.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby explained how he received a call from a retired police officer and friend who said that Robinson had agreed to turn himself in on the night of Sept. 11.

Robinson reportedly told his family that he was prepared to take his own life, but that his mother and father convinced him otherwise.

According to Brooksby, Robinson expressed fear about being shot if a SWAT team surrounded the family’s house in Washington, Utah.

“He was fearful of a SWAT team hit on his house, or he was fearful of being shot by law enforcement. So part of the negotiation in getting him to bring himself in was that we would treat it as delicate and as soft as possible to make him feel comfortable to where he would show up at my office, and that’s exactly what happened,” Brooksby said.

“He asked basically for a peaceful, gentle, comfortable transition for him to come out,” Brooksby added.

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“Tyler knew it was just inevitable with all the law enforcement pressure that he, his picture in the news, the gun, the gun on the news,” he said. “He knew it was inevitable that he would be caught.”

The sheriff stated that he first received a call about Robinson at approximately 8:02 p.m., Conservative Brief reported.

“I could tell his voice was kind of shaky, so my first thought is, ‘Who died?’” he said. “‘Like, who’s he gonna tell me that died?’ And then I couldn’t fathom what actually came out of his mouth.”

“So he said, ‘Hey, I know who Charlie Kirk’s shooter is. I know the family through religious association, and he’s in Washington County now. And we’re working to get him to come in voluntarily,’” Brooksby continued.

“During that phone call, some information was provided about Tyler potentially having some suicidal ideation [and] was en route to a remote part of Washington County. The parents convinced him not to do that and conveyed that they would stand by him and help him surrender peacefully.”